An Imperial Crown, a State Diadem, and Aristocratic Tiaras at the State Opening of Parliament

It was a sparkling morning in London, with the bejeweled King and Queen heading to the Palace of Westminster to attend the State Opening of Parliament.

King Charles III, with Queen Camilla sitting by his side, read out the speech from the throne in the Lords’ Chamber in the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday morning. This year’s State Opening of Parliament was streamed live online, and you can watch a replay of all the traditional pomp and pageantry.

For the third time during his reign, Charles wore his full uniform, decoration, robes, and crown for the event. You’ll spot familiar insignia from the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of the Bath, the Royal Victorian Chain, and the Royal Victorian Order.

But most striking of all, of course, is the Imperial State Crown, which Charles wore as he processed into the chamber and kept on throughout the ceremony. I had predicted that Queen Elizabeth II would be the last monarch to wear the crown during this event, but Charles has proved me completely wrong. (Here’s my history of the crown, written at the end of Elizabeth II’s reign.)

Beside him, Queen Camilla wore the Diamond Diadem with her state robes, the star of the Order of the Garter, and a white floral gown from a favorite designer, Fiona Clare. Camilla has reached for this gown often in recent years, wearing it for events like the Diplomatic Reception in 2023 and the recent Nigerian state banquet.

Queen Camilla, shown here carrying a silver handbag made by one of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite companies, Launer, wore the Diamond Diadem throughout the proceedings. Originally made for King George IV to wear on his way to his coronation ceremony in 1821, the diadem has since been worn exclusively by British queens, both consort and regnant. Queen Elizabeth II often wore it to and from the State Opening, swapping it out for the Imperial State Crown during the ceremony itself.

There’s been some interesting reporting already about the jewels that Camilla wore with the diadem for the occasion. She wore her late grandmother’s diamond serpent necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels (not the Coronation Necklace, as Hello! reported). She also reached for a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings from her jewelry box. These are not Queen Victoria’s Pearl Drop Earrings, as Tatler claimed today.

These similar-but-not-the-same pearl drop earrings have been worn by Camilla for many years, and they’re made with clips for her unpierced ears. Here, she wears them with the Greville Tiara at the Diplomatic Reception in 2018. Besides the timeline and the clip fasteners, the other big tell is the baguette-cut diamond that sits between the diamond stud and the pearl drop. The equivalent diamond on Victoria’s pair is round.

Camilla also wore one more familiar piece of royal jewelry on her right wrist: one of the diamond Art Deco-style bracelets made by Cartier for the Queen Mother in the 1920s. On her left wrist, she wore several gold chain bracelets.

Queen Camilla was attended by two of her Queen’s Companions at Wednesday’s State Opening, both of whom wore tiaras for the occasion. The Marchioness of Lansdowne wore a diamond floral tiara, while Lady Sarah Keswick chose a classic diamond fringe. Both have worn these tiaras—and the same white outfits—for the two previous State Openings of Charles III’s reign in 2023 and 2024.

And here’s a brief glimpse of the tiaras worn on the benches nearby during this year’s ceremony. Each year the number of tiaras worn gets increasingly smaller, coinciding with continuing reforms to the institution.